News

Tiziano Perez to leave the Dutch Foundation for Literature at the end of 2023

14 April 2023 - General

Tiziano Perez has announced that he will leave as managing director of the Dutch Foundation for Literature at the end of 2023. By then he will have led the national culture foundation for ten years, having been involved with the organization in other roles before that. The Supervisory Board will begin the search for a successor.

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Max Greyson as WiR in the Netherlands

7 February 2023 - General and Press releases

Poet, performer and theater maker Max Greyson is writer in February, upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. During his stay, Greyson will be working on two projects: a new collection of poems and a musical theater piece.

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German publishers visit Amsterdam

Preparing for the Leipziger Buchmesse 2024

12 January 2023 - International and General

From Wednesday 18 to Friday 20 January, representatives from nine German publishers will come to Amsterdam to get acquainted with Dutch literature, writers and publishers. This program takes place in the context of the Leipziger Buchmesse 2024, the largest public book fair in Germany, which will be hosted by the Netherlands and Flanders.

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Support Fund for Ukrainian artists now open

16 August 2022 - Press releases and General

The Support Fund for Ukrainian Artists is now open for applications. The Dutch cabinet earlier announced that a million euro would be set aside this year to give temporary support to artists who were forced to flee their country after the Russian attack on Ukraine and are living in the Netherlands. The Support Fund is intended for both individual artists and groups. Applications can be made through the Dutch Foundation for Literature, via this website.

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Remco Campert

In memoriam

14 July 2022 - General and Authors

In Remco Campert (1929-2022) Dutch literature has lost one of its best-loved writers. He wrote poems, stories, novels, novellas and columns, and in 1976 was awarded the PC Hooft Prize for poetry, in 2011 the Gouden Ganzenveer and in 2015 the Prijs der Nederlandse Letteren (Dutch Literature Prize) for his oeuvre as a whole. In recognition of his major contribution to Dutch literature, Campert had been in receipt of an annual ‘honourgrant’ from the Dutch Foundation for Literature since 2004.

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German book fairs visit Rotterdam

Preparing for the Leipziger Buchmesse 2024

7 June 2022 - International and General

From Wednesday the 8th of June until Saturday June 11th, programme directors and presidents of over ten German literature festivals will visit The Netherlands, at the invitation of Flanders Literature and the Dutch Foundation for Literature. This Fellowship takes place in the context of the Leipziger Buchmesse 2024, which will be hosted by the Netherlands and Flanders. During these intensive days, the organisers will get a broad overview of literature from the Low Countries and the opportunity to meet over fifteen writers and illustrators; all of which have upcoming German translations of their work.

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Michael Tedja will be the new writer in residence at NIAS

17 May 2022 - General

From September 2022 to February 2023, Michael Tedja will be writer in residence at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study (NIAS) in Amsterdam. At the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the NIAS, Tedja will work here on his new novel, in which he investigates the history of his artistically creative family.

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Kopje Koffie #6: Tobi Lakmaker

German book podcast about Dutch and Flemish literature

24 March 2022 - General

Writer Tobi Lakmaker is interviewed in the sixth episode of Kopje Koffie, the German book podcast on literature from the Low Countries. With Bettina Baltschev he talks about his first novel De geschiedenis van mijn seksualiteit (Das Mag), which has recently been translated by Christina Brunnenkamp for Piper Verlag under the title Die Geschichte meiner Sexualität.

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Poem Marieke Lucas Rijneveld translated in five languages

‘This is the thing we must remember: we are all born as refugees’

15 March 2022 - General

The Dutch Foundation for Literature stands for free expression of speech and the peaceful exchange of ideas. Partly for this reason, we had the poem ‘Een krijgzuchtige tijd’ by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld translated into Ukrainian, Russian, German, French and English.

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Kopje Koffie #5: Marente de Moor

German book podcast about Dutch and Flemish literature

10 January 2022 - General

In the fifth episode of the German book podcast about Dutch literature, writer Marente de Moor takes a seat with Bettina Baltschev about the recent translation of her novel Foon. The book was published in the autumn of 2021 under the German title Phon by Hanser Literaturverlage, in a translation by Bettina Bach.

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‘Kopje Koffie’ #4 with Herman Koch

Dutch-Flamish book podcast

24 November 2021 - International and General

After Arnon Grünberg, Judith Fanto and Charlotte Van den Broeck, Herman Koch is a guest in Kopje Koffie, the German book podcast about Dutch and Flemish literature. Koch will discuss the German translation of his book Finse dagen (Finnische Tage, published by KiWi, translated by Christiane Kuby and Herbert Post) with Bettina Baltschev.

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BCLT Literary Translation Summer School

Applications open

28 March 2021 - Translators and General

Literary translators from Dutch into English are invited to sign up for the BCLT Literary Translation Summer School. The Dutch Foundation for Literature provides six full bursaries for (starting) translators. The BCLT Summer School will be held online, from 19 to 24 July 2021, and will focus on poetry. Please register before Monday, April 12.

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Grants 2020

24 March 2021 - Grants awarded and General

The annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature gives an overview of all activities and grants in 2020, including temporary support in this Covid-19 year.

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Three Golden Books for Paul van Loon

More than 75,000 copies sold

8 March 2021 - International and General

Children’s book author Paul van Loon has received no fewer than three Golden Books at once, a unique event in Dutch literature. A book is given the Golden status if more than 75,000 copies are sold. Van Loon has reached that target with three titles: Dolfje Weerwolfje , SuperDolfje and Weerwolfnachtbaan.

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P.C. Hooft Prize to poet Alfred Schaffer

16 December 2020 - Awards, General and Authors

Alfred Schaffer (b. 1973) has been awarded the P.C. Hooft Prize, one of the most prestigious literary prizes in the Netherlands. He is the first laureate of this poetry oeuvre award to have debuted in the 21st century. This year his twelfth volume of poetry, Wie was ik, strafregels was published at The Busy Bee. So far, his work has been translated into Afrikaans, English, French, German, Macedonian, Turkish, Indonesian and Swedish.

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Support measures

12 May 2020 - Translators, International, Authors and General

In this uncertain time in which authors, illustrators, translators and publishers face major challenges, the Dutch Foundation for Literature is aiming to give as much support as possible to our partners.

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The Discomfort of Evening shortlisted

International Booker Prize 2020

2 April 2020 - Awards, General and International

Marieke Lucas Rijneveld and Michele Hutchison have just won a first ever Dutch shortlist nomination for the International Booker Prize with The Discomfort of Evening (Faber & Faber). The jury announced the six nominated titles online. The International Booker is awarded annually for a single book, translated into English and published in the UK or Ireland. The vital work of translators is celebrated, with the prize money (£ 50.000) divided equally between the author and translator. The winner of the 2020 prize will be announced on 19 May.

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Foundation’s measures regarding COVID-19

UPDATE

28 March 2020 - General

The COVID-19 epidemic and the measures required to contain it are having a major impact on the cultural sector and the book industry in Europe and elsewhere. Where possible, the Dutch Foundation for Literature is of course willing to give extra leeway to applicants - and thus help reduce uncertainties. An update.

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The Letter for the King

Netflix release March 20

18 March 2020 - International, Authors and General

The Letter for the King, a new Netflix Original series based on the Dutch children’s classic by Tonke Dragt, will be released on March 20. It is the first time a Dutch novel is adapted by Netflix.

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Presstour British journalists

27 February 2020 - International and General

On 5 and 6 March, a group of British journalists will visit Amsterdam upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. This will give them an opportunity to become familiair with the Dutch book market and Dutch authors in the context of the New Dutch Writing campaign and the ‘Boekenweek’, the Dutch national week of books and literature.

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Grants 2019

24 February 2020 - Grants awarded and General

All in 2019 awarded Translation Grants (and other grants) can be found in the annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. Download the annual report (pdf; Dutch) here.

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Farewell and new colleague

19 February 2020 - General

After more than 23 years at the Dutch Foundation for Literature, Bas Pauw’s carreer takes a new turn. From March onwards, he is seconded to the Performing Arts Fund NL in The Hague. Most of his duties at the Foundation for Literature will be taken over by Lucette Châtelain. In January, Juul Klein Wolterink has joined the communications team of the Foundation for Literature.

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Fellowship German Festivals

7 February 2020 - General

From Wednesday 12 until Friday 14 February, the Dutch Foundation for Literature has invited 12 German programmers of literary festivals and literary houses to participate in a fellowship. During their stay in Amsterdam, the fellows will meet their Dutch counterparts and get information on the state-of-the-art of Dutch literature.

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Residency at NIAS-KNAW Amsterdam

Open call

18 January 2020 - General and Authors

The Dutch Foundation for Literature and NIAS-KNAW invite publishers and others to nominate a writer for the writer-in-residence fellowship at NIAS-KNAW in Amsterdam for the academic year 2020/21. This prestigious position is intended for a writer who is working on a project that would benefit from an extended stay as part of a diverse community of international scholars. Nominations can be submitted before 16 March (noon).

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Maxim Februari’s oeuvre twice crowned

17 January 2020 - Awards, Authors and General

Novelist, essayist and philosopher Maxim Februari has been awarded two prestigious Dutch literary prizes, the P.C. Hooft Prize and the C.C.S. Crone Prize. Both are awarded for Februari’s complete works, and the juries of both prizes praise the exceptional quality of his oeuvre. His work has been translated into English, Danish, Spanish and Turkish.

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Shortlist Vondel Translation Prize

1 December 2019 - Translators, Awards and General

Four translators have been nominated for the Vondel Translation Prize 2020. This biennial prize from the Dutch Foundation for Literature awards the best English-language translation of a Dutch-language literary or cultural-historical work with a prize of € 5,000. The award ceremony will take place on 12 February in London.

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‘Amsterdam Blues’

Review of Gerard Reve in New York Review of Books by Philip Huff

23 November 2019 - International and General

In The New York Review of Books (December 5, 2019), Dutch author Philip Huff discusses two recently translated works by famous Dutch writer Gerard Reve: his classics The Evenings: A Winter’s Tale, and Childhood: Two Novellas. Both books have been translated by Sam Garrett for Pushkin Press.

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Launch of ‘New Dutch Writing’ campaign

7 October 2019 - Press releases, International and General

Under the title ‘New Dutch Writing’, Dutch literature will be presented at more than seventy festivals and events in the United Kingdom and Ireland from October onwards. By means of this major promotional campaign, the Dutch Foundation for Literature aims to introduce new generations of Dutch authors to an English-language readership. The campaign will also draw attention to literary translation.

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New Dutch Writing

Campaign launched in the UK promoting Dutch literature in translation to UK readers

3 July 2019 - Press releases, Events, International and General

On the evening of Wednesday 3rd July 2019 Dutch and British representatives from the world of books and translation will gather to celebrate the launch of New Dutch Writing at The Union Club in Soho.

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Kamil Bałuk as WiR in Amsterdam

Writer in residence programme 2019

1 July 2019 - Press releases, Authors and General

This summer, Polish journalist and writer Kamil Bałuk will live and work as a writer in residence in our residency in Amsterdam. His first book All Louis’ Children about the case of the much-discussed fertility doctor Jan Karbaat was published last year in Dutch translation. During his residency period, Bałuk will make a series of reports about the contemporary Netherlands.

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Shortlist European Literature Prize 2019

18 June 2019 - Translators, Awards and General

The shortlist for the European Literature Prize 2019 has been announced. Out of a longlist of twenty translated titles the jury has selected five from which the winner will be chosen. The prize will be presented 3 November 2019, during the Crossing Border festival in The Hague.

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Grand Poetry Prize to Radna Fabias

17 June 2019 - Awards, General and Authors

First Paris then the Grand Poetry Prize. Radna Fabias has been awarded the Netherlands’ Grand Poetry Prize 2019 at the 50th Poetry International Festival in Rotterdam, for Habitus (De Arbeiderspers). Her first collection made an impressive debut in Dutch-language poetry. It not only received exclusively laudatory reviews, but has now won all four major Dutch poetry awards, including the C. Buddingh’ Prize, the Awater Poetry Prize and the Herman De Coninck Prize 2019.

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Children’s book donation to Paris

13 June 2019 - International and General

As part of a special cultural cooperation between Amsterdam and Paris, the Dutch Foundation for Literature makes a donation of children’s and youth literature books to the Médiathèque Françoise Sagan in Paris. Thanks to fifteen publishers, a gift of no fewer than 92 books has been compiled, of which 72 are Dutch-language and 20 are French translations of Dutch children’s books.

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Rosemary Sullivan as WiR in Amsterdam

Writer-in-residence programme 2019

2 May 2019 - Press releases, Events and General

Canadian author Rosemary Sullivan will be living and working in Amsterdam from 2 to 31 May, upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. She will be working on a book with the provisional title A Cold Case Diary, which is due to appear in 19 countries in the summer of 2020; in the Netherlands the book will be published by Ambo | Anthos.

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Bart Moeyaert wins ALMA

2 April 2019 - Awards and General

Flemish author Bart Moeyaert is the laureate of the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award 2019, the ‘Nobel Prize for youth literature’. The award, which amounts to 5 million Swedish Kronor (€ 480,000) is given annually by the Swedish Arts Council. Moeyaert was nominated for the sixteenth time this year, and finally received the prestigious prize at the Bologna’s Children’s Book Fair.

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Kate Mosse as WiR in Amsterdam

Writer-in-residence programme 2019

21 March 2019 - Press releases, Events and General

British writer Kate Mosse (1961) will be living and working in Amsterdam from 3 to 22 April, at the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. She will be working on a historical novel set in 16th-century Amsterdam, the second part in a series of four about the French religious wars and the Diaspora of the Huguenots. During her stay she will give several public performances.

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Leipzig am Meer

20 March 2019 - Press releases, International and General

From 21 to 24 March, seven Dutch illustrators and authors of fiction, non-fiction and children’s books will visit Germany. Dutch literature will be presented in ten events at the Leipziger Buchmesse and the corresponding Leipzig Liest reading festival.

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London Book Fair

11 March 2019 - International and General

From 11-14 March Barbara den Ouden, Victor Schiferli, Mireille Berman, Agnes Vogt, Bas Pauw and Alexandra Koch will represent the Dutch Foundation for Literature at the London Book Fair (table 34V at the International Rights Center). They will have meetings with approximately 125 international publishers and editors to promote Dutch literature.

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Antjie Krog as WiR in Amsterdam

Writer-in-residence programme 2019

21 January 2019 - General and Press releases

South African poet and author Antjie Krog will be living and working in Amsterdam from 21 January to 20 February, at the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. As well as being a writer worthy of the Nobel Prize for literature, Krog is a consummate literary performer. During her stay she will give a series of performances in the Netherlands and Belgium, including appearances during Poetry Week.

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Tsead Bruinja New Poet Laureate of the Netherlands

18 January 2019 - General

Tsead Bruinja has been appointed as the new Poet Laureate of the Netherlands for a period of two years. Bruinja is the seventh Poet Laureate of the Netherlands, appointed by a commission of experts and prominent writers. The next two years he will write poems on the occasion of national events and act as poetry ambassador.

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Grants 2018

31 December 2018 - General and Grants awarded

All in 2018 awarded Translation Grants (and other grants) can be found in the annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. An overview of translations of Dutch and Frisian literature worldwide, both published and in preparation, both subsidized by our Foundation and not, may be found in our Translations Database.

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Never Grow Up!

19 December 2018 - International and General

Throughout 2019, Never Grow Up! Dutch film, literature and performing arts for young audiences presents an abundance of Dutch artistry in the United States. A wide range of work from the Netherlands for young audiences and families will be presented and shared at festivals, conferences and other platforms, all representing a respect for young people and dedication to youth culture as an autonomous art form.

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Marga Minco wins P.C. Hooft Prize

11 December 2018 - Awards, General and Authors

Marga Minco (b. 1920) has been awarded the P.C. Hooft Prize 2019, one of the most prestigious Dutch literary awards, for her prose. The jury praised her as the author of a modest and intensely powerful body of work. ‘Without psychologizing, without resorting to pathos or pretention, she enables us to understand and fully engage with an inconceivable reality.’

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The Netherlands and Flanders ‘focus country’ at France’s largest children’s book fair

Literary autumn marathon in France: 21 authors in five cities

22 November 2018 - Press releases, International, Authors and General

This autumn the Les Phares du Nord campaign is taking twenty-one Dutch and Flemish authors to five French cities. A great deal of attention is also being paid to Dutch-language children’s and young adult literature, a much sought-after export product. From 28 November to 3 December, the Netherlands and Flanders are the ‘focus country’ at the Salon du Livre et de la Presse Jeunesse in Montreuil, France’s biggest and most important children’s book fair.

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Stuttgarter Buchwochen & Karlsruher Bücherschau

Follow-up campaign ‘This is what we share’

14 November 2018 - General, Authors, International and Press releases

In November, nine Dutch and Flemish authors will perform during the Stuttgarter Buchwochen and the Karlsruher Bücherschau. Their performances are part of the campaign organised in Germany in 2017-2018, as a follow-up to the successful Flemish-Dutch Guest of Honour programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair 2016. With these two, almost simultaneous festivals in Stuttgart and Karlsrühe, the ‘This is what we share’ campaign in Germany comes to an end.

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Non-fiction Fellowship

English Focus

6 November 2018 - International and General

Ten non-fiction publishers from the UK and USA will visit Amsterdam, upon invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. From 12-14 November they will be introduced to the Dutch field of non-fiction writing, meeting many publishers and writers. The Amsterdam Fellowship is an annual programme in which the Foundation invites international literary editors to come and meet their Dutch colleagues and familiarise themselves with Dutch literature.

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The Foundation’s Translation Prizes 2018

Janny Middelbeek-Oortgiesen and Goedele de Sterck

27 September 2018 - Translators, Awards and General

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes 2018 go to Janny Middelbeek-Oortgiesen (Swedish to Dutch) and Goedele de Sterck (Dutch to Spanish), in recognition not just of their translation oeuvres but of their efforts as ambassadors between two language areas. Each winner will receive a sum of €10,000. Both prizes will be presented on Friday 14 December in Amsterdam.

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European Literature Prize to ‘Max, Mischa & het Tet-offensief’

13 September 2018 - Translators, Awards and General

The jury of the European Literature Prize 2018 has announced that the award goes to Norwegian author Johan Harstad and his translators Edith Koenders and Paula Stevens, for the novel Max, Mischa & het Tet-offensief (Podium). The prize will be presented to the author and his translators on the evening of Wednesday 31 October at the Crossing Border Festival in The Hague.

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Roos Vermeij

new chair of Dutch Foundation for Literature

4 September 2018 - General

The Minister of Education, Culture and Science has appointed Roos Vermeij as chair of the Supervisory Board of the Dutch Foundation for Literature as of September 2018. She succeeds Jan Hoekema, whose term of office ended earlier this year.

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Willem Asman wins Golden Noose

7 June 2018 - Awards, Authors and General

The BookSpot Gouden Strop (Golden Noose) 2018 has been awarded to Willem Asman for his book Enter (Ambo | Anthos) by jury chairman Anniko van Santen. The Shadow Prize went to Eva Keuris for her debut Over het spoor. Willem Asman wrote Enter with a scholarship from the Dutch Foundation for Literature. Thanks to the new sponsor BookSpot, the Gouden Strop is worth an amount of € 20,000 this year.

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Flanders and the Netherlands in the spotlight at Comedie du Livre

leading literary festival in South France invites 30 Dutch authors

24 May 2018 - Press releases, International, Authors and General

No less than 30 Dutch and Flemish authors are on stage this weekend at the ‘Comédie du Livre’ festival in Montpellier, with nearly 100,000 visitors the most important literay festival in the south of France. This years 33rd edition of the festival has a special focus on the Low Countries. Both new, recently introduced authors - such as Joost de Vries, Niña Weijers, Lize Spit, Inge Schilperoord - and in France well known names are part of the invited group of writers. Many genres are represented: novels, but also graphic novels, thrillers and literary non-fiction.

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Grants 2017

30 March 2018 - Grants awarded and General

All in 2017 awarded Translation Grants (and other grants) can be found in the annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature. An overview of translations of Dutch and Frisian literature worldwide, both published and in preparation, both subsidized by our Foundation and not, may be found in our Translations Database.

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Dutch and Flemish literature at the Leipzig Book Fair

15 March 2018 - Events, International and General

Dutch and Flemish literature are in the spotlight at this year’s Leipziger Buchmesse, the second largest book fair in Germany, and its simultaneous literary festival Leipzig Liest. From Thursday 15 until Sunday 18 March graphic novelists and illustrators are live at work in Atelier Parade, more than ten Dutch and Flemish authors will read from their work or be interviewed on stage, and last but not least, new digital literature is introduced to publishers and the general public.

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User survey

6 March 2018 - General

Once every four years the Dutch Foundation for Literature asks an independent agency to find out what ‘users of the Foundation’, particularly publishers, other literary organisations, writers and translators, think of the policies, communication and service of the Dutch Foundation.

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Les Phares du Nord

9 February 2018 - Events, International and General

Over 100 Dutch and Flemish authors will present themselves at more than twenty literary festivals throughout France. All this in the context of Les Phares du Nord (The Lighthouses of the North), an intensive campaign aimed at presenting Dutch literature in France, the second largest book market of Europe and the fifth worldwide.

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Creative Twinning

19 January 2018 - General

Is your organisation, company or NGO active in the literary, creative or cultural sector? And are your cultural activities aimed at contributing to social cohesion in the regions bordering on the European Union? If so, you might be eligible for a 2018-2020 Creative Twinning grant, a new subsidy scheme of the Dutch government. A key component of Creative Twinning projects is collaboration, since the scheme focuses on increasing trust and improving communication between the Netherlands and EU neighbours. Questions and applications may be directed to Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

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BNG Bank Literature Prize to Marjolijn van Heemstra

12 January 2018 - Awards, Authors and General

The BNG Bank Literature Prize, the annual Dutch prize for young writers − worth 15.000 euros, has been awarded to poet, novelist, and playwright Marjolijn van Heemstra for En we noemen hem… (And His Name Is..). German, English, French, Italian and Spanish translations of this novel are in preparation.

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Nachoem Wijnberg wins P.C. Hooft Prize

16 December 2017 - Awards, Authors and General

Poet Nachoem Wijnberg will receive the P.C. Hooft Prize, one of the most prestigious prizes for literature in the Netherlands, on 24 May 2018. According to the jury, reading Wijnberg is “to enter a sharp way of thinking in a flawless and dangerous language.” The annual award, worth 60.000 euros, is alternately awarded for prose (fiction), essays (non-fiction) or poetry.

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Taalunie Playwriting Prize to Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer

15 December 2017 - Awards, Authors and General

This year, the Taalunie Playwriting Prize – worth 10.000 euros – has gone to novelist and poet Ilja Leonard Pfeijffer (1968) for his play De advocaat (‘The Lawyer’). The jury stated that “De advocaat balances magisterially on the thin line between tragedy and comedy, realistic drama and meta-consideration, slapstick and emotion.”

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Roel Schuyt wins the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2017

9 December 2017 - Translators, Awards and General

Roel Schuyt (b. 1948) has been awarded the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2017. Since the 1990s he has translated work by a wide variety of writers from Central Europe, including Danilo Kiš, Dubravka Ugrešić and Borislav Čičovački, as well as young authors such as Goce Smilevski and Olja Savičević. He also wrote translation history by being one of the first to translate the work of Nobel Prize candidate Ismail Kadare directly from the Albanian. The prize, which includes the sum of €10,000, was presented in Amsterdam on Friday 8 December, during the Literaire Vertaaldagen.

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Follow-up to Flanders and the Netherlands

Guest of honour in Germany

7 September 2017 - General, International and Press releases

‘This Is What We Share. Flanders and the Netherlands, guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair’ is to have a sequel. Several dozen Dutch and Flemish authors will be making appearances in cities across Germany in the coming months, from the International Literature Festival Berlin via Leipzig and Munich to the Harbourfront Festival in Hamburg.

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Anne Frank’s legacy shields refugees

10 July 2017 - General

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the first publication of Anne Frank’s diary. Her story was the inspiration for Amsterdam City of Refuge, which offers a safe haven to persecuted writers and which is hosted by the Dutch Foundation for Literature in the former house of the Frank-family, where Anne Frank started her diary before they went into hiding. Deutsche Welle’s Fred Muvunyi talks with poet Lety Elvir and the Foundation’s managing director Tiziano Perez about the City of Refuge-project.

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Nominations IBBY-Honourlist 2018

20 June 2017 - General

Every two years IBBY publishes the Honourlist, a list of high-quality children’s and youth books published in IBBY’s more than seventy-five countries. The national sections of IBBY nominate one book for each category that excels in text, illustrations or translation.

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ESLT Summer School

European School of Literary Translation

20 June 2017 - General

At the beginning of June an exciting new international initiative dedicated to the training of emerging literary translation teachers was launched, the European School of Literary Translation. ESLT aims to support professional literary translation by creating a sustainable pan-European infrastructure for the education of literary translation teachers. ESLT will contribute to enhancing the quality of literary translations and, consequently, to the promotion of European cultural and literary diversity and the European ideal of a shared European culture.

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L’automne sera français

Julia Deck, Atiq Rahimi and Olivier Rolin awaited at the Amsterdam writers’ residence

9 June 2017 - Press releases and General

Three French writers will be staying in the Netherlands as writer in residence this autumn, at the invitation of the Dutch Foundation for Literature: Julia Deck, Atiq Rahimi and Olivier Rolin. Work by all three had been translated into Dutch. At a Sunday morning reading in Athenaeum Boekhandel in Amsterdam, led by Margot Dijkgraaf, the authors will give further insights into their work. The three French residencies will take place as part of an intensive campaign by the Foundation over the coming two years to increase interest in Dutch-language literature in France. Last week minister Bussemaker gave the starting shot for the campaign during ‘Le Boekenbal’.

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‘Le Boekenbal’

Start of literary campaign Les Phares du Nord in France

31 May 2017 - General

Following the success of the Netherlands and Flanders as Guest of Honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Dutch Foundation for Literature and Flanders Literature will be concentrating on France over the next two years: the second biggest book market in Europe and the fifth biggest in the world. With an intensive campaign entitled Les Phares du Nord, the two literature foundations aim to achieve substantial growth in the number of literary translations into French as well as greater visibility for Dutch-language authors in France. The starting shot of the campaign will be fired this coming Thursday, 1 June, during ‘Le Boekenbal’ in Paris.

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In Other Words

Poetry translation project

19 April 2017 - Events and General

From the 30th of May till 4th of June, Poetry International will bring approximately 20 of the most prominent contemporary poets worldwide to Rotterdam for the 48th Poetry International Festival. This means it’s time for a new edition of the translation project In Other Words.

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Grants 2016

29 March 2017 - Grants awarded and General

All in 2016 awarded Translation Grants (and other grants) can be found in the annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

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Special mention Dutch app

Bolognarazzi Digital Award

6 March 2017 - International and General

The BolognaRagazzi Digital Award for the most innovative mobile app or web product for children is awarded on an annual basis by Bologna Children’s Book Fair in partnership with Children’s Technology Review. Out of 152 entries from 32 countries, the jury has chosen the winners of the Bolognarazzi Digital Award. In addition to the winners, six digital works received a special mention and some works were selected for a short-list. Een verre reis a children’s story of Dutch writer Toon Tellegen (Querido Kinderboek) produced by Yip Yip was chosen for a special mention.

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Flemish-Dutch success at world’s largest book fair

1 March 2017 - Events, International and General

The Flanders-Netherlands Guest of Honour programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair was a resounding success. In 2016, under the motto This Is What We Share, Flanders and the Netherlands organised the Guest of Honour programme at the largest trade book fair in the world. The ambitious programme ensured that more than 450 Dutch-language books were translated. The number of literary translations into German tripled compared to previous years. A new generation of writers was also successfully introduced into Germany. These are some of the conclusions of an evaluation conducted by the Flemish Literature Fund and the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

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Mingler connects art and science

Virtual meeting place

15 February 2017 - General

The Young Academy and the Society of Arts of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences have joined forces to develop Mingler: a virtual meeting place that encourages interaction and synergies in scientific and artistic research. A goldmine for scientists and artists seeking to collaborate across institutional boundaries.

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Ester Naomi Perquin

New Poet Laureate of the Netherlands

27 January 2017 - General

Ester Naomi Perquin has been appointed as the new Poet Laureate of the Netherlands for a period of two years. Perquin’s great experience of the literary world makes her perfectly suited to the role of poetry’s ambassador in the Netherlands. She has edited a literary magazine, hosted a national radio show, written columns, compiled a poetry calendar and served as the Poet Laureate of Rotterdam. Perquin does not, however, limit her activities to poetry and literature; two years ago, for instance, she wrote the memorandum of basic principles for Rotterdam’s cultural policy.

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Guest of Honour programme an important boost to the further spread of Dutch-language literature

This is what we share - Dies ist, was wir teilen

1 November 2016 - Press releases, International, Events and General

The Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Flemish Literature Fund look back with satisfaction on the success of the Flemish-Dutch Guest of Honour programme at the Frankfurt Book Fair, which ended on Sunday. Both directors are pleased with the results already achieved, with more translations than a Guest of Honour has ever generated before and huge media attention in Germany for Dutch-language authors, translators and illustrators. They stress, however, that the process of realizing a second ambition begins only now: the Guest of Honour programme at Frankfurt will give an important boost to the international appeal and further spread of Dutch-language literature internationally in the future.

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Dutch and Belgian monarchs to jointly open Dutch-Flemish Pavilion

Frankfurt Book Fair

10 October 2016 - General

Under the slogan Dit is wat we delen (‘This is what we share’), Flanders and the Netherlands will present over 70 authors at the Book Fair and various other venues in and around the city of Frankfurt. In the run-up to the Fair, over 300 German translations will be published of literary and other works in Dutch. These translations will encompass a multitude of genres, by a wide range of classic and contemporary authors.

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Death of Pieter Steinz

30 August 2016 - Press releases and General

Pieter Steinz passed away yesterday, at the age of fifty-two, in his home town, Haarlem. He was suffering from ALS, a progressive muscular disease with which he was diagnosed in 2013. He gradually laid aside his tasks as director of the Dutch Foundation for Literature but remained closely involved with the Foundation’s activities. He also published several successful books: Made in Europe (2014), Lezen met ALS (2015), and in 2015 the Book Week essay Waanzin in de wereldliteratuur. In that same year a completely revised edition appeared of Lezen Etcetera, first published twelve years earlier, with the title Steinz – Gids voor de wereldliteratuur. He wrote this ‘Dikke Steinz’ (‘The Thick Steinz’), as it became known, along with his daughter Jet Steinz.

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German press visits the Netherlands and Flanders

Guest of honour FBM16

22 August 2016 - International and General

In the run up to the Netherlands and Flanders being Guest of Honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Dutch and the Flemish Foundations for Literature will receive no less than 35 German journalists from 20 till 28 August. All media will be represented: radio, television, newspapers, magazines, trade journals, and bloggers. In just a few days, the journalists will meet many writers, illustrators, publishers and (literary) organizations. No less than 120 authors/artists are involved in the three presstours, spread over 75 events at various (historic) locations in Amsterdam, Antwerp and Ghent.

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All Van Gogh’s letters translated into Chinese

27 May 2016 - General and Press releases

The Chinese translation of the complete correspondence of Vincent van Gogh is published today in Shanghai. The Chinese publisher of Vincent van Gogh – The Letters, Shanghai Fine Arts Publisher, organized a celebratory presentation.

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Autorenresidenz

Mirna Funk, Ilija Trojanow, Frank Witzel and Valerie Fritsch in Amsterdam

8 April 2016 - Press releases and General

In 2016, the year in which the Netherlands and Flanders are ‘Ehrengast’ at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Dutch Foundation for Literature invited six German-speaking writers in the writers residence in Amsterdam. Currently author and journalist Mirna Funk resides in Amsterdam until half May. She will be followed up by Ilija Trojanow, Frank Witzel and Valerie Fritsch.

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Es geht los!

Guest of honour programme kicks off in Germany, coinciding with the opening of Dutch Book Week

9 March 2016 - International, Authors and General

Appearances today, 10 March, by Saskia de Coster and Connie Palmen at the literary festival lit.Cologne mark the start of an extensive range of literary programmes presenting the Netherlands and Flanders as joint guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair. In total more than 120 Flemish and Dutch authors will make appearances in seven German cities. The kick-off in Cologne coincides with the opening of Book Week in the Netherlands.

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Subsidy for two literary games

Literature and games come together in innovative productions

22 January 2016 - Press releases, Authors and General

The Game Fund and the Dutch Foundation for Literature are jointly subsidizing two literary games. Flemish writer Joost Vandecasteele is collaborating with indie game studio Happy Volcano to create a game in which the gameplay determines the course of a dark story. In the game ‘Puzzling Poetry’ by Studio Louter and poet Lucas Hirsch, players transform poems.

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Grants 2015

13 January 2016 - Grants awarded and General

All in 2015 awarded Translation Grants (and other grants) can be found in the annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

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Mairisch goes Amsterdam

3 December 2015 - International, Authors and General

In February 2016, the entire team of the Hamburg-based publishing house mairisch will be moving to Amsterdam for a month. This is related to the joint guest of honour status of the Netherlands and Flanders at the Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2016.

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New non-fiction specialist

30 October 2015 - International and General

As of 1 November Mireille Berman will be non-fiction specialist at the Dutch Foundation for Literature. Her task is to promote Dutch non-fiction abroad, a job performed over the past eighteen years by Maarten Valken, who has now reached retirement age.

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Golden Slate Pencil goes to Bette Westera

Third award for ‘Dead Simple’

7 October 2015 - General and Awards

The Golden Slate Pencil (Gouden Griffel) has been awarded to Bette Westera at the opening ceremony of the Dutch Children’s Book Week. It is the first time since 20 years that this prestigious prize for children’s literature goes to a poetry book. For Dead Simple (Doodgewoon, Gottmer Publishers), written by Westera and illustrated by Sylvia Weve, it is is the third award this year. It also received the Woutertje Pieterse Prize 2015, and a ‘Zilveren Griffel’ and ‘Vlag & Wimpel’.

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Adriaan van Dis awarded important Dutch oeuvre award

Constantijn Huygens-prijs 2015

27 September 2015 - General and Awards

Adriaan van Dis (1946) has been awarded the Constantijn Huygens-prijs 2015, an important Dutch oeuvre award. His wide-ranging oeuvre consists of poems, novels, stories, plays, and essays.

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Dutch authors and film directors in Brazil

4 August 2015 - Press releases, Events, International, Authors and General

From 26 August through 5 September, seven Dutch authors will take part in a ten-day festival in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, organized by the Dutch Foundation for Literature and EYE International, with the theme of Dutch literature and film.

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Germany theme of the Dutch Bookweek 2016

11 June 2015 - Events, International and General

In the year in which the Netherlands and Flanders will jointly present themselves as guests of honour at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Dutch Boekenweek (Bookweek) aims at Germany, under the motto Was Ich nog zu sagen hätte. This was reported today by CPNB in a press release.

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International Literary Translation Initiative Award

Dutch Foundation for Literature nominated

19 March 2015 - International and General

Each year the London Book Fair hands out awards in a number of categories as part of its International Excellence Awards program. We’re very proud to announce that the Dutch Foundation for Literature has made the shortlist for this year’s International Literary Translation Initiative Award.

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Grants 2014

31 January 2015 - Grants awarded and General

All in 2014 awarded Translation Grants (and other grants) can be found in the annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

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Maartje Wortel at the Van Eyck-academy

Writer in Residence in Maastricht

8 January 2015 - General

Maartje Wortel will stay as a writer in residence at the Van Eyck Academy in Maastricht for a period of two months. The writer in residence programme is a joint initiative of the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the Van Eyck Academy.

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Edgar de Bruin wins the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize 2015

13 December 2015 - Translators, Awards and General

On Friday 12 December 2015 Edgar de Bruin was awarded the Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prize for the translator as cultural ambassador. His oeuvre demonstrates his sharp eye for modern Czech literature; he has introduced writers including Petra Hůlová, Jáchym Topol, Patrik Ouředník and Markéta Pilatová to a Dutch readership.

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Two times gold for Schutten and Rieder

‘The Mystery of Life’

1 October 2014 - Awards, General and Authors

The two most important Dutch prizes for children’s and young adult literature, the Golden Slate Pencil and the Golden Paintbrush have gone to one and the same book, for the first time since 1985: The Mystery of Life – and the Stinky Socks of Jos Grootjes from Driel, published by Gottmer. Author Jan Paul Schutten and illustrator Floor Rieder introduce earth’s origins, the universe and the story of evolution in ways that are witty and factual, technical and anecdotal.

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Interview with WiR Carrasco

31 July 2014 - International, Authors and General

Jesús Carrasco talks about the overwhelming success of his debut Intemperie (Dutch translation: De vlucht) in a video that Marieke Kessel made during his period as a writer in residency in Amsterdam. During his residence Carrasco worked on his second novel: “it’s an investigation about the relationship between a man and the land. If you take away all the things, everything that sustains him, affections, material goods, safety - then what happens? What remains of the man as a human being?”

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Shortlist European Literature Prize 2014 announced

3 June 2014 - Press releases, Translators, Awards and General

The shortlist for the European Literature Prize 2014 has just been announced at a festive gathering in Amsterdam. The jury selected five titles from a longlist of twenty translated novels. The European Literature Prize is unusual in recognizing both the author and the translator of the winning book. The prize will be presented on Sunday 7 September, during Manuscripta, in Utrecht.

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Grants 2010 & 2011

1 July 2012 - Grants awarded and General

All in 2010 and 2011 awarded Translation Grants (and other grants) can be found in the first annual report of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

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Henk Pröpper leaves the Dutch Foundation for Literature

29 September 2011 - General

As of 1 December this year, Henk Pröpper will leave the Dutch Foundation for Literature to join WPG Publishers as director/publisher at De Bezige Bij. Pröpper (b. 1958) spent a total of more than eight years as director of the Dutch Foundation for the Production and Translation of Dutch Literature (NLPVF) and then, after the fusion between that organization and the Fonds voor de Letteren (FvdL), of the Dutch Foundation for Literature.

Translation Prizes 2010

Awards for Hans Driessen, Diego Puls and Mariolein Sabarte Belacortu

27 December 2010 - Translators, Awards and General

The Dutch Foundation for Literature’s Translation Prizes for the translator as cultural ambassador have been awarded to Hans Driessen (German into Dutch), Diego Puls (Dutch into Spanish) and Mariolein Sabarte Belacortu (Spanish into Dutch). The prizes were presented on Friday 10 December during the annual Literaire Vertaaldagen in Utrecht.

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For questions concerning the activities of the foundation please contact Romkje de Bildt or Teun Grondman.

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